Wood Carving Merit Badge
Seven requirements: safety and first aid, the Totin' Chip and the Safety Checklist for Carving, tools and sharpening, four basic cuts, the choice of woods, a carving in the round and a low-relief or chip carving. Requirement 5 explains the woods chosen for the carvings in 6 and 7.
8 steps (6 parts inside them). · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Wood Carving Merit Badge
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody.
The steps
Stage 1 of 8
1 step
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1. Wood carving safety and first aid Requirement
Two parts: the hazards, and first aid shown.
Stage 2 of 8
1 step
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2. The Totin' Chip and the Safety Checklist for Carving Requirement
Two parts.
2 parts
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2(a). Earn the Totin' Chip recognition Often forgotten
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Stage 3 of 8
1 step
Stage 4 of 8
1 step
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4. Show four basic cuts Requirement
Using a piece of scrap wood or a project you are working on: (a) paring cut; (b) basic cut and push cut; (c) V cut; (d) stop cut or score line.
Stage 5 of 8
1 step
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5. Why different woods suit different projects Requirement
Tell why different woods are used for different projects, and explain why you chose the type of wood you did for your projects in requirements 6 and 7.
Stage 6 of 8
1 step
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6. A simple carving in the round Requirement
Plan your own project or select one from the Wood Carving merit badge pamphlet, and complete it.
Stage 7 of 8
1 step
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7. A simple low-relief or chip carving project Requirement
Complete one: a low-relief project OR a chip carving project.
Stage 8 of 8
1 step
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 1. Wood carving safety and first aid, 2. The Totin' Chip and the Safety Checklist for Carving and 5 others.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.